The Assent Institute
The Assent Institute, also known as the Fairchild Reservation, refers to the Shadowhunter Institute in Assent, Belgium, currently headed by Johan Branwell. It is where the Assent Conclave meet, and provides protection to Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike. History The mansion was originally built for a ..., but was later bought by a religious order of the Catholic Church to serve as a school. When the number of students started to increase, the school moved to a new building and the mansion was abandoned. When demonic activity in the area started to increase, due to the mansion being located near two pilgrimage sites, the Clave started to look for a suitable location for a new Institute. One Silent Brother suggested the location because of its former use as a religious school, but the proposal was initially rejected until an ancestor of the Fairchild family found out that the ground had been blessed by the former proprietors. Appearance The Assent Institute is located in an old school owned by a religious order of the Catholic Church. Instead of one big church, the Assent Institute is a collection of buildings, such as a gatehouse and an old farm, scattered around the estate. The main building, where the Branwell family lives is, is mainly used to house visiting Shadowhunters, while other buildings were giving to valuable members of the Conclave and close friends of the family. Features Fairchild Mansion Roger's study ... Library The Assent Institute has one of the smallest libraries of all the Institutes. However, it has a vast collection of books about all types of magic. The library is also decorated with various objects gifted to the Fairchild family by visitors such as the Praetor Lupus and Camille Belcourt, who used the Institute as a Waystation while traveling. Weapons Room ... Forge ... Schoolroom ... Training room ... Servant Quarters When the mansion was built, it could accommodate up to 20 servants. When the practice of having Sighted Mundanes as servants died out, the servant quarters were rebuild to serve as rooms for visiting Nephilim. Currently, they are housing blacksmith Wesley Highsmith and his wife Deborah, an Ascended mundane. She is in charge of maintaining the mansion and helps Sonja to accommodate the needs of visiting Shadowhunters. The Groundskeeper's House The second biggest building, it was given to Johan's cousin and her husband, who play valuable roles in the Institute. The house has a study, where Geert Whitelaw takes care of all the political and legal issues, which is directly connected to the mansion via an underground network of tunnels. This passage is mainly used in urgent matters, but it has also been used by the Branwell and Whitelaw children to sneak out of the house. The Gatehouse In the early days of the mansion, even before it was used as a school, the owner of the mansion had a big fence installed around the estate. Everything coming in and going out of the house was checked by his guards in the gatehouse. Nowadays, the gatehouse is inhabited by Sonja's sister, Patricia Fairchild, and her family. The Farmhouse Before the invention of Portals by Henry Fairchild, the Institute had its own farm where servants produced food for the Shadowhunters of the local Conclave. Nowadays, the farmhouse is inhabited by Johan's brother and Parabatai Koen Branwell and his family, while Catelyn Branwell and her fiancé are living in the nearby silo tower. When the Clave-In-Exile left Idris and supplies were cut of, Jean-Pierre Bellefleur started cultivating the land surrounding the farm. The Stables Even though the Fairchild family has always been a progressive family, especially in comparison to other Shadowhunter families, they have always kept to Nephilim traditions. One of these traditions is using horses as the main means of transport. Roger Fairchild's first act as leader of the Institute was the reconstruction of the mansion's stables. He insisted that living quarters would be build on top of the stables, which are currently inhabited by Sonja's Parabatai Sonja Merryweather and her husband Jean-Pierre Bellefleur. Coachhouse The Coachhouse is one of the smallest buildings on the Institute's grounds and was used to store the carriages of the mansion's first owner. Currently, it is inhabited by Jean-Pierre Kingsmill and Anja Longford, the most trusted advisors of the Institute's head. Fisherman's House On the far end of the Institute's grounds, there is a small house where an old fisherman used to live. It is currently inhabited by Kris Trushcross and his family. Greenhouse Recently, Johan had a greenhouse installed for his mother and sister to live in. Surroundings The Forest The Assent Institute is surrounded by a large forest. Several Downworlders have been known to hide out in the area for generations, particularly housing a werewolf pack and some lone vampires. Nowadays, it is used by the Praetor Lupus to hide Downworlders in danger. It is also frequented a lot by faeries from the Wild Hunt. Warlocks and witches visit the forest looking for rare herbs and spices. The Lake At the far end of the estate, there is a large lake surrounded by a pebble beach. The lake has a hidden entrance into Faerie, guarded by a forgotten branch of Faerie royalty, which makes it a popular meeting spot for faeries. The lake is the source of many folklore stories, as there have been multiple sightings of Faeries by mundanes living close to the lake. Residents 1980s * Roger Fairchild (head) * Christiane Fairchild * Sonja Fairchild * Johan Branwell * Nico Fairchild * Sara Lightwood 2000s * Johan Branwell (head) * Sonja Fairchild * Nathaniel Branwell * Daniel Townsend * Sarah Lightwood * Elisabeth Fairchild * Phaedra Fairchild * Lisette Townsend * Emile Townsend Former: * Lien Branwell * Gerd Gladstone * Nico Fairchild † * Roger Fairchild † (former head) * Christiane Fairchild † Staff * Koen Branwell (trainer) * Wesley Kingsmill (Blacksmith) * Geert Whitelaw * Heidi Branwell (tutor) Category:Locations Category:NielBranwell (locations)